Bound by Souls
by Donkichu
Summary: A rewrite of my older story, The Maiden with Two Souls. The original will still remain up for the purposes of comparison and review, but is discontinued.


**Disclaimer: I own neither RWBY nor Dark souls, those titles belong to Roosterteeth and From Software respectively.**

**_Chapter 1: Infinite Matter_**

The gentle lapping of waves echoed across the area, the corpses of strange cyclopean ogres littering a beach. Standing atop one such ogre was a hooded figure clad in the garb of a Hexer, also wielding a Sunset Staff and a wooden blue shield.

"Foul creatures... To think I once feared them..." The figure spat, placing her shield upon her back. She hopped off of the hideous creature's stomach and picked up her discarded blade that crackled ever so slightly with electricity, and carefully inspected it with a gloved hand.

"It truly is durable to take a hit like that... Just what kind of alloy is it made from...?" She mutters to herself as she begins walking forwards, still inspecting the blade, to investigate the strange sarcophagus she had spotted here in Things Betwixt. It was a strange thing, what about it had caught the attention of those ogres, creatures that had nary a speck of true intellect?

When she gazed upon the sarcophagus again, she had to stop. It had changed significantly from a stone container to one consisting of metal with a window into it gazing up into the sky. Her curiousity peaked when she saw this occur, her inner scholar begging her to investigate further.

The woman thought back on the events that led her to the land of Drangleic.

Nermina... that was her name.

Nermina had left her home in Vinheim after the dark mark had branded itself onto her flesh, leaving behind many things in the wake of her fears. Her family hadn't known that she had the mark, nor the reasons she fled... not even her own daughter. She would wander for years in search of a cure after creating her own proved fruitless... then she finally arrived at Things Betwixt.

Making her way through what remained of Heide, she entered the Hunstman's Copse after killing the cleric, Licia of Lindelt, in a battle of miracle against sorcery, which devolved into two women trying to stab each other with daggers after neither could end the other with spells. In the Copse she met her new mentor, Felkin.

Nermina had then gone on to making her way to the Forest of Fallen Giants, new staff and clothes equipped, slaying both the Last Giant and a Pursuer, before leaving for the Lost Bastille. There she had been defeated many times by the Ruin Sentinels before progressing to the artificial gargoyles, then to the Lost Sinner.

Her battle with the Sinner was a hard one, she had summoned Lucatiel, who was defeated partway through the fight, which left Nermina to finish it with a dark enchanted sword. She was grateful that her wounds never scarred, lest she have one going across her chest and stomach. Thank the gods for estus and lifegems.

This now brings us to the present, Nermina had decided to return to Things Betwixt and finish the pathetic population of ogres. It still left the unsolved mystery of the metal coffin.

_"Just go and look, you've got nothing better to do," _She thought to herself, before walking over and gazing at the container. After a moment of hesitation, she placed a hand on it.

A heartbeat pounded against her mind as a glow extended from inside the pod, traveling up her hand and arm. With her other hand, she unconsciously reached into her bag and grasped her white soapstone, carving her own name as her eyes glowed ever so slightly, streams of energy surrounding them.

The glass of the pod shattered, the shards disintegrated as Nermina's hand plunged inside.

There was a young woman inside, scars marring her face as her eyes were surrounded by the very same energy that surrounded Nermina's. An amber glow surrounded the girl's entire body as Nermina's hand made contact with her chest.

The air around both women would warp severely, the hairs on the back of Nermina's neck standing up as shivers went down her spine. Enormous vestiges of Humanity flowed into her very soul, some otherworldly force binding itself to her.

A splitting headache cracks through her brain, her summon sign blindingly bright as it triggered. The entire world fell away, a black abyss replacing her surroundings as the young woman's body fades away, a soul being added to Nermina's collection signifying that she had died.

Knowledge filled her mind, concepts and ideas of technologies far more advanced than anything she had ever seen.

Knowledge of a completely new world... no, of the same world, but so far in the future that it's history has become myths and legends.

The darkness returned, coiling around this invisible force that bound itself to Nermina. The darkness takes shape, letting out a screech as it's insectoid limbs were burned by pure Humanity, forcing it to surrender its grasp.

The Darkness... no, _the Grimm_, shriveled and died as it was consumed by Nermina's Humanity... her Darksign.

Her body felt as though it was on fire, the newfound power clashing with the Darksign. The inner conflict threatened to tear her apart.

Until Nermina felt something bear the burden with her.

It was the girl who was in the pod, though her scars had faded to the point of invisibility. She was fully clothed as well, her outfit suited for traveling and battle. She stood beside the sorceress, taking her hand and guiding it towards the orb of raw magical power. The Darksign glowed blood red on the back of Nermina's hand as it got closer to this source of power, an unbearable burning sensation as the ring glowed brighter and brighter.

The girl... Amber, placed a hand over the increasingly bright sigil before Nermina finally plunged her hand into the concentration of magic, the power flowing through both women before they both pass out.

**Location: Forever Fall, unknown cave**

A woman was unconscious beside a fire, a strange coiled sword plunged into its center as the flame seemed to burn with no end.

She wore a strange tattered cloak around herself, a veiny black pattern covering the gray material. Her hood was down, revealing hair that was white as snow.

She wore garb that would commonly be associated with a Hexer, though peculiarly her right glove was missing, completely burnt off to reveal a strange brand upon the back of her fist.

A Darksign, shattered by wings unfurling from within.


End file.
